Iruka's Legacy
by The Naruto Addict
Summary: Betrayal breaks many men. Not Naruto. For him, it is merely a curve that leads him to power. But betrayal does affect Naruto...in ways many do not realize.
1. Chapter 1: The Betrayed Ninja

"_Why is ramen so delicious?"_- thinking

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu- jutsu

**YOU LITTLE BRAT/You little brat**-Demon speech/Inner Sakura

Iruka's Legacy

Chapter 1: The Betrayed Ninja

_They have ordered me to kill him._

_Why?_

_They say he is dangerous, a threat to Konoha as a whole._

_I know the real reason._

_They are afraid._

_Afraid of what he would do now that he knows the truth._

_Right now he is in a very vulnerable position._

_He trusts only one person now._

_Me._

_And that is why they want me to kill him._

_They know I will not succeed._

_They know he will kill me._

_And my death will break him._

_But they underestimate him once more._

_I will die, but he will not break._

_He will rise above their hate._

_He will defy all their expectations._

_He will stand strong and they will pay for their ignorance and hate._

_Because nobody messes with Uzumaki Naruto and laughs over it at supper._

_Believe It._

Iruka sighed as he closed his diary. Today was his last day and he would meet his death with his head held high. But he would leave Naruto something to remember him by. The secret that Umino clan guarded with their lives, their legacy would live on through the Uzumaki. His clan died out because of it but Naruto, however, would flourish and grow stronger. He would…

"Iruka-san"

Iruka turned to face the boar-masked ANBU.

"It's time."

* * *

Three Years Later

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he read the order.

"Reassignment to Team Seven…"

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders.

"It couldn't last forever, you know? Luckily for you, you are leaving just in time to avoid Ino."

"But do you know who I'm being assigned to?"

Chouji swallowed another mouthful of meat.

"I know Shino is on your team, so at least that's one familiar face."

Sasuke turned to the masked jounin.

"Do you know who is the third member is?"

Kakashi flipped another page of his perverted book.

"…Yes."

"Who is it?"

Kakashi took quite longer in answering the question, but finally he replied.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

The three genin drew a collective breath of shock. It had been three years since Iruka died and their classmate disappeared and what they had heard in those three years was not pretty. It was now common knowledge that Naruto was the jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi no Kitsune. It sparked a lot of mixed reactions within the rookies. Some like Kiba who used to cut class and play pranks with Naruto never believed that Naruto was the Kyuubi in human form. Others, like Sakura, believed that Naruto was a demon waiting to unleash his rage on Konoha. Some, like Ino, believed that the Kyuubi had taken over Naruto and was using him like a puppet. Then there were those like Sasuke, waiting for further information to draw their own conclusions.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke turned to Kakashi, who had a somber look on his face. He hardly ever looked like this.

"Do not make any assumptions about him. He's been through way more than you imagine. He's…different."

"In what way?"

"You'll find out."

* * *

Aburame Compound.

* * *

Shino walked into his house and made his way to his father's office. He quietly entered and sat behind his father's desk, adjusting his sunglasses as he did so.

"Shino how was your day?" Aburame Shibi asked in a monotone.

"It was different. I was reassigned to Team Seven." Shino replied, also in a monotone.

Shibi's eyebrows rose. Reassignment was not to be taken lightly.

"Who are your teammates?"

"Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto."

Shibi sat in silence for a few minutes and rose.

"I wish you well in your new team, now come. We have some training to get to if I'm not mistaken."

Shino rose and followed his father, the slight anxiety gone. If his father had thought there was anything bad with his team, he would have said so. But the silence meant he should exercise caution.

"_How much have you changed...Uzumaki Naruto?"_

* * *

The Next Day - Hokage's Office

* * *

Sarutobi Asuma stared incredulously at the Hokage.

"Would you care for a recap?"

Asuma palmed his face tiredly.

"No, you were quite clear in giving me these orders. But this has disaster written all over it."

The Sandaime sighed as he puffed on his pipe.

"Why do you say so?"

Asuma held up Sasuke's file.

"Here is the village's darling boy who is actually a power-obsessed, revenge-oriented ninja who is delicately balancing on the line between sanity and insanity. He has been making recent improvements in his anti-social tendencies but not good enough for my liking."

Next, Asuma held up Shino's file.

"The Aburame can be considered the most normal on the team and that alone should tell you how screwed up this team already is. He is just as anti-social as Sasuke is and is blunt to a fault. He is one of the most gifted Aburames I have seen though but I doubt he will do much to foster team dynamics."

Finally, he held up Naruto's file which was much thicker than both Sasuke's and Shino's files.

"Do I really need to say anything?"

Hiruzen merely continued smoking his pipe and Asuma sighed.

"Finally, we have the village's scapegoat. The unsung hero of Konoha who is treated worse than an S-rank criminal. After his return three years ago, he has been just as anti-social as his two teammates and is reported to be unstable. Throw in the fact that the majority of the citizens treat him like scum, it's a wonder he hasn't snapped yet."

Hiruzen removed his pipe momentarily.

"What exactly is your point?"

"If you are trying to punish me, there is no need to get cruel and unusual."

The Hokage tiredly puffed on his pipe once more.

"To handle this team, there is no one better. Kakashi, for all his power, is a slacker at heart. Kurenai is new at this. Anko is still on probation after what happened to her last team. Raidou and Genma are still healing after their last mission and Ibiki is busy with ANBU interrogations. The others…well enough said."

"So I'm all you've got?"

"…Yes, you're all I've got."

Asuma glanced at the folders and sighed as he picked them up.

"I'll give it my best."

Hiruzen smiled sagely.

"That's all I ask."

Asuma rose to leave but a grunt from his father halted him.

"There is one other thing you should know."

* * *

The Next Day

* * *

To say Sasuke and Shino were surprised was an understatement. Naruto's sudden change had taken them aback. They expected him to be exactly what he used to be, an uncontrollable orange bundle of excitement and enthusiasm. Now Naruto was wearing a black full-length cloak with his hitai-ite around his neck also set on a black cloth. He was sitting on a training stump with his eyes closed in what they assumed to be meditation. His blond hair was still spiky and his ever-present whisker marks looked a little deeper. But what really caught their attention was in the back of cloak. In white, the kanji for 'Trust' embroidered on the back of the cloak. A white slash was also embroidered on the cloak to cut through the kanji, resembling a missing-nin's hitai-ite. Sasuke frowned when he saw that.

"_What does that mean? Does he trust no one now?"_

"Yes."

Sasuke was startled by that.

"…Yes what?"

"Yes, that's exactly what it means."

Naruto opened his eyes to look at Sasuke and Shino. His cerulean blue eyes that once held determination and exuberance were long gone. All that was left was a stormy blue that looked like a void, sucking up whatever caught its fancy. It frightened Sasuke a little. Shino merely adjusted his shades.

After a few moments of tense silence, Naruto closed his eyes and resumed his meditation. Sasuke and Shino immediately took seats with their backs too him.

* * *

Naruto's mindscape

* * *

Kyuubi snarled as he slammed his paws against the bars of his cage. It was in a gigantic rage and had been ever since that night three years ago.

"_**I do not understand! His mind and will, battered and weak, should have crumbled when his only friend died! How is it that his mind instead became stronger? And that he outsmarted me into that idiotic deal? THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!"**_

"**I WILL GET YOU FOR THIS YOU LITTLE…"**

"Shut up already."

Kyuubi immediately lunged for the gates in a futile attempt to maul his nemesis, the son of the accursed fleshbag that sentenced him to this existence. He never made a yard before suddenly everything seemed so big.

"Why are the bars so…what happened to my voice?"

Kyuubi took stock of what had happened to him and squeaked in fright. He was now a chibi fox with a teeny voice. Suddenly he felt a hand grab him by the scruff and hoist him into the air. He found himself looking into stormy blue eyes that held a hint of boredom. He immediately began struggling in earnest to at least scratch the face of his tormentor of three years.

"If you insist on behaving like this get used to this form from now on and trust me, I won't lose a wink of sleep over this."

"You just wait, I'll get you for this and I'll…*squeak*"

Naruto had flicked his fingers on the fox's larynx, paralyzing his vocal chords and rendering him mute.

"This is your last warning, if you continue to misbehave; I'll leave you like this, knowing how much you hate this form. And I know a few guys who would love to see you like this."

"Y-y-you wouldn't dare!"

"Try me."

With that Naruto slung the Kyuubi back into the recesses of his mind where the fox regained its original form and was surrounded by the bars of the cage. There, it mulled in silent rage and frustration.

"_**I'll get you for this brat, even if I have to deal with the Shinigami, I will reclaim what you stole. And then how will you stop me?"**_

* * *

Next on Iruka's Legacy

_Is this really Naruto? He has changed so drastically and I don't like it. He is cold, distant and makes Sasuke look friendly. And there are those strange techniques of his. What happened to him after Iruka died? Ugh...mendokuse. This puzzle has caught my attention but can I solve..._

The Puzzle of the Fox

* * *

A/N: This is something new I decided to try out. My other stories are still going to be updated but The Way Of The Pervert is up for adoption. Please R&R.


	2. Chapter 2:The Puzzle Of The Fox

_"Why is ramen so delicious?"_-thinking

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu- jutsu

**YOU LITTLE BRAT/you little brat-** demon speech/Inner Sakura

Iruka's Legacy

Chapter 2: The Puzzle of The Fox

Asuma appeared in a plume of smoke, took a quick glance at his team and sighed. They had already begun showing their individual anti-social tendencies. Sasuke was brooding, Shino fiddling around with his colony and Naruto was either meditating or sleeping...nobody really knew. He cleared his throat to gather their attention.

"All right, I am Sarutobi Asuma and I'll be your sensei for the foreseeable future. Today, I want us get to know each other better and take a simple C-Rank mission tomorrow. So please introduce yourselves, mention your likes, dislikes and dreams. Let's start with you."

He pointed to Sasuke who scowled before speaking.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. My likes are restricted to training and I dislike a lot of things, especially fangirls. My dream...is not exactly a dream; it's more of an ambition. I will revive the Uchiha Clan and kill the one responsible for its annihilation."

Shino was next.

"I am Aburame Shino. I like bugs and my family. I dislike bug-haters and insecticide. My dream is to take over my clan and lead them to best of my abilities."

Asuma turned to Naruto.

"Your turn."

Naruto was silent for a few seconds which puzzled Asuma.

"What's wrong?"

Naruto opened his eyes momentarily, freezing Asuma in their stormy gaze.

"Nothing, just thinking about what I'm going to say...Well, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. My likes...hmm, none of your business; my dislikes...common knowledge; my dream... I'm not sure. Burning Konoha to the ground sounds quite good right now...for now, I just want to avenge my old friend.

Asuma gulped at his introduction, Sasuke shifted a little further away and a buzzing noise emanated from Shino. But none of this made Naruto twitch, he merely closed his eyes and yawned.

"Okay, now about that mission..."

* * *

Shikamaru grimaced as he left about his team's first meeting. Ino was exactly the way he remembered, Kurenai was a welcome change as a sensei but his thoughts kept on drifting towards the blond enigma, Uzumaki Naruto.

When Naruto had returned everybody had expected the same happy-go-lucky, orange-clad, ramen-loving, Hokage-obsessed idiot that had left. Boy, were they in for a big surprise.

* * *

Flashback

* * *

Shikamaru, Kiba and Sakura were walking towards the Hokage tower to meet their sensei and receive a mission when they saw a dark figure gliding towards them. The sun was in their eyes obscuring the face of the oncoming shinobi. When they got close enough...

"Naruto?" queried Sakura.

Naruto didn't even lift his head and ignored Sakura as he walked by. This, of course, made Sakura very angry.

"DON'T IGNORE ME, YOU IDIOT!"

She threw a punch at Naruto's back and heard it collide with a satisfying thump, but pain exploded in her hand. She fell to the ground, shrieking in pain, and gingerly massaged her fist.

"You should know better than to attack your allies."

She looked up into Naruto's eyes that now held a tint of disdain...and disgust.

"But it looks like that big forehead of yours is full of hot air...and that is probably just fuel for your temper."

Sakura cried out vengefully and pounced at Naruto, with her other fist cocked back. Naruto didn't bother to dodge.

*THUMP!*

Sakura screamed once more as her other hand received the same punishment as its predecessor. She sunk to the floor and tried to nurse her hands.

"You don't learn, do you?"

Naruto walked up to her and stared her in the eyes for a few moments before Sakura cringed and looked away.

"Yep, hot air in your forehead and no backbone in your body. Pitiful."

He turned and walked away, never looked back once.

"Man, Naruto owned you, Sakura." Kiba crowed.

Shikamaru frowned; this was not the Naruto he knew.

* * *

Looking down from his contemplations of the clouds in the sky, Shikamaru saw a figure in a black cloak talking to a small boy wearing a skull cap, a long, blue scarf and a yellow shirt with Konoha's emblem on it. The small boy gave a quick salute and ran off. The cloaked individual started walking in Shikamaru's direction. Recognition was apparent on Shikamaru's face.

"Naruto!"

Naruto stopped to face the shadow user, his emotionless face in place.

"Hey, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru frowned, Naruto used to be excited when people talked to him.

"Where are you going?"

Naruto was silent for a while which was also puzzling to Shikamaru. Naruto always had a ready answer for such questions.

"To find peace."

That was another surprise, Naruto never spoke figuratively.

"Huh? Where will you find peace?"

"Where someone else finds war."

This made no sense to Shikamaru.

"How will you find peace where someone else finds war?"

"Because war and peace walk hand-in-hand. You don't know what one truly is if you haven't experienced the other."

"So you are going to start a war just to experience peace?"

A slight smile crossed Naruto's face...the kind a grown-up gives a child for making an incorrect statement due to their maturity levels.

"Wars are fought everyday Shikamaru. Just because they don't destroy the environment and claim numerous lives doesn't make them any less serious. Most of these wars determine the course of our lives.

"But how do you find peace in the midst of strife?"

Naruto stood still for a while.

"Do you think you are smart?"

Shikamaru paused before answering.

"...Yes."

"I tell you now, Shikamaru...to truly know what knowledge is, you must first truly know ignorance. Then you are truly open to understanding you never knew could exist. Because such knowledge is truly difficult to gain but once you do get it...it is more precious than all the riches the Elemental Nations possess...or as threatening as a bounty on your head."

"...I don't understand."

"Okay, what do you want out of life as a shinobi?"

"I want to live a completely unremarkable life as genin and ascend to chuunin on my third attempt. After, I will marry a wife who is neither beautiful nor ugly and have three children. After my third child is self-reliant, I will retire and spend the rest of my days playing shogi."

Naruto shook his head in slight amusement when Shikamaru was done.

"As at now, you have no idea what the future will bring. When you do know what it has in store for you, it will be a treasure...or a burden."

Naruto walked away, leaving Shikamaru very confused. After a few minutes, Shikamaru turned in the direction Naruto was walking and followed.

* * *

Shikamaru found Naruto in a training field adjacent the Forest of Death. It was usually avoided because most of the creatures that escaped from the Forest of Death ended up in that field. Naruto was seated on a post in the centre of the field, in a meditative mood. Before Shikamaru could approach him, three chuunins appeared in the field, surrounding Naruto.

"Well, well, well...look what we have here."

"A demon all alone and with no one to protect him."

"I hope you said your prayers you little monster, you'll be greeting the Shinigami very soon."

Shikamaru gritted his teeth; he couldn't take on one chuunin to talk of three.

"_If I leave to get help, Naruto will die but if I..."_

"...are you going to talk me to death or are you going to fight already?"

The chuunins bristled at Naruto's question. There was no fear or anxiety in Naruto's voice. Heck, there was not even anticipation in it. It was emotionless. Shikamaru frowned at that.

"How dare you talk to us like that, demon. Killing you will be our greatest achievement...it will make us heroes."

"The Yondaime himself couldn't kill the Kyuubi, are you more powerful than him?"

The chuunin were taken aback by that statement. A small smile crossed Shikamaru's lips.

"_That just proves how ignorant most of the villagers are...a demon wouldn't have taken the abuse Naruto took."_

Suddenly, a brace of shuriken flew out of a nearby tree at the chuunins. They were easily dodged because they were poorly aimed and moving slowly. But as the chuunins dodged them, a small figure in a yellow shirt with a Konoha emblem, skull cap and a long blue scarf ran out of the trees and stood in front of Naruto.

"Leave Naruto-niichan alone!"

Shikamaru sighed, Konohamaru had also followed Naruto but he had just started the Ninja Academy. Hopefully the ninjas would stand down now that the Sandaime's grandson...

"Oh, this is perfect. The demon kills the Sandaime's grandson and we take it out in revenge."

In a flash, Naruto's killing intent flooded the training ground, freezing everybody else. Naruto slowly got to his feet, still atop the training post. Shikamaru's eyes were drawn to his cloak.

Naruto's cloak was melding itself to his body, like a second skin. As it did so, the strip that slashed through the kanji of "Trust" slipped out and began forming a crossword pattern all over the cloth (imagine Tayuya's curse seal, but white on black this time). In a few seconds, the cloak had formed a full bodysuit with the white crossword design forming some sort of full-body tattoo. Naruto began flipping through handseals. He was fast but Shikamaru had a feeling that he was holding back his true speed. Naruto ended on the dragon seal and his blue eyes began to glow an even brighter blue.

Jumping of the post, Naruto flipped in midair and felled the first chuunin with an overhead axe kick. He smoothly parried a punch from the second and swept him of his feet. Quickly rising, he delivered three hard punches to the airborne chuunin's abdomen. With a backflip, Naruto dodged the third's roundhouse and slammed him into a faraway tree with a double palm strike. The first chuunin had recovered and tried to trip Naruto with a sweep kick. Naruto stomped on the incoming leg and kicked the chuunin away with a kick to his chest. Shikamaru caught a good look of Naruto's back here...the kanji for "Trust" had reformed.

It now read "Time".

As Naruto walked back to the training post, the three chuunins rose to their feet slowly but steadily.

"Okay, you might have some skill but it's not enough to beat us."

Naruto's head turned, his eyes still retaining their bright glow and the white tattoo designs began to glow a bright shade of blue too.

Suddenly, the first chuunin reeled from an invisible impact from above and fell to the ground. The second was swept of his feet and felt three hard strikes to his abdomen once more. The third felt an enormous force slam him into the tree Naruto had sent him flying into before. As the first chuunin got to his feet, his leg buckled from another invisible force and a huge impact to his torso sent him flying again. The double assault knocked all three chuunins out.

* * *

Shikamaru was frozen in shock. Naruto had defeated three chuunin with taijutsu and a single jutsu. And that jutsu...

"_What was that jutsu? It produced invisible strikes and the way the chuunins were knocked by the assault was like when Naruto..."_

He looked at Naruto closely, the bodysuit was turning into the cloak, the tattoo-like designs was retracting and reforming the white slash and the kanji for "Time" was slowly reforming itself to the kanji for "Trust". Shikamaru puzzled over this and suddenly, it clicked.

"_He attacked them with taijutsu after he used his jutsu."_

"_They were affected the same way the taijutsu attack affected them."_

"_Time."_

The conclusion was simple...but astounding.

"_Naruto attacked the chuunins in the present...and in the future. The cloak and kanji aren't just an emo-fashion statement...they are necessary for his jutsu."_

As he watched Konohamaru squeal his excitement at his niichan's prowess to the world, a thought struck Shikamaru.

"_If Naruto can manipulate time for just a taijutsu attack...what else can he do?"_

* * *

Akatsuki Lair

* * *

"Okay Kakuzu, welcome to the Akatsuki. For now, we want you to continue your job as a bounty hunter and also take some S-ranked missions on the side. Go see Zetsu; he'll give you all you need."

The Taki missing-nin nodded and left the room. Pein got up from his chair and walked towards a nearby balcony. There a man in an orange spiral mask and in the Akatsuki cloak stood, deep in thought.

"What is it?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Are you regretting your decision to teach him?"

"I didn't teach him...I just gave him the gist of one of my techniques. How he replicated it and improved on it is beyond me."

Pein stood still for a minute, puzzled at Tobi's willingness to talk. Usually, the immortal Uchiha preferred to keep everybody in the dark till it was their turn to contribute to it.

"What technique was that?"

The masked man was silent for a minute.

"Izanagi."

"...how did he learn it without the..."

"I don't know and that is what worries me...because Izanagi has much more potential than the Sharingan can realise."

"But it is a time-space technique amplified by Sharingan, is it not?"

"No, it is a time-space technique limited by the Sharingan's fallibility. Uzumaki showed me that Izanagi has much more potential than any Sharingan can reach."

Pein was silent for a minute and gave dismissive snort.

"Whatever. He is still no match for the might of a God."

He walked away and the masked figure chuckled after he left.

"Mark my words Pein. That attitude of yours is going to be your downfall."

* * *

Tanzaku Gai

* * *

Jiraiya's body shook with barely contained excitement as he watched the scantily-clad ladies frolic in the water. He furiously scribbled words onto a scroll, giggling perversely all the while.

"Jiraiya-sama."

Recognising the voice, Jiraiya sighed and turned around. One of the messenger toads was sitting behind him.

"Three chuunins made a move towards the boy. He seemed uninterested till the Sandaime's grandson was in danger. Then…"

Jiraiya frowned as the toad described the events that transpired.

"Okay, keep me posted on more developments as soon as they arise."

The toad nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Jiraiya's frown, however, did not disappear.

Not even the frolicking ladies in the water could help.

* * *

Tsuchi no Kuni

* * *

"HAAAHH!"

A plume of dust, accompanied by a loud boom, covered the field. Shizune, holding Tonton, shielded her eyes from the dust.

A loud pant indicated that her mentor was nearby.

Senju Tsunade was exasperated.

Chakra control was the means by which she had risen through the ranks of ninja into a living legend. It was the base of her medical techniques and her combat abilities. Yet…that boy had swooped in and pulled the rug from under her and swooped out again.

He bested her in the one part of a ninja's life she thought she had no equal.

Now she was stuck trying to perfect a technique HE had developed through superior chakra control.

"Tsunade-sama, we have company."

A team of Iwa-nins stood a considerable distance away.

Tsunade snarled at them and hoped they got the message.

"_Don't start none, won't be none."_

* * *

Underground Oto Base

* * *

Orochimaru snarled as his sword beheaded the last of his failed experiments. Nothing could take away the rage which THAT BOY had induced. He had been played by a kid who could not even call himself a genin…tricked by a kid fresh out of the academy and with the hunter-nin on his trail. The boy had made of with several scrolls, some of which contained very powerful jutsus. To top it off, he had rigged several strategic locations with explosive tags and set them off the day he left. That had destroyed years of research and advancement and drawn hunter-nin like moths to a flame. He had to abandon his central base in Rice Country which was the headquarters of his entire operation.

He flipped through a series of seals and incinerated the dead bodies with a breath of fire. As he watched the flames burn, it took him back to the day the Uzumaki brat crippled Oto…in fifteen minutes.

* * *

Flashback

* * *

Orochimaru gasped in horror as several buildings collapsed. The intense flames roared even higher as they fed on the newly collapsed buildings. Several Oto ninjas scrambled around trying to put out the fires...but it seemed hopeless.

The Orochimaru saw the blond brat responsible for the widespread chaos happening around him. He stood on top of a building untouched by the chaos that surrounded it. He watched with a dispassionate eye, wearing the black cloak he had begun wearing a week ago.

When his eyes fell on the leader of Oto, he reached into his cloak and removed a scroll and set it on the roof of the building. He disappeared right before Orochimaru could make it to the roof of the building.

Scowling, Orochimaru picked up the scroll and unrolled it. It was a very short message.

"It was my displeasure knowing you. I hope we never meet again."

Suddenly, the scroll started burning. Orochimaru quickly chucked it over his shoulder...before he realised his mistake.

BOOM!

The scroll exploded and started a fresh wave of fire, collapsed buildings and panic.

The denizens of Oto shivered as they heard Orochimaru's frustrated scream.

* * *

Orochimaru walked out the room, which now smelt of burnt flesh. The rage within, however, was not sated.

* * *

Konoha – The Next Day

* * *

Team 7 stood in front of the Hokage, ready to take on a C-rank mission...even though they all maintained their aloof facades. The Sandaime pulled out an appropriately marked scroll, smiling genially.

"This is a simple request from Takigakure no Sato. One that requires the unique talents of your group...the details will be disclosed on your arrival. Good luck."

The genin nodded silently and walked out of the office, Naruto trailing behind.

"Naruto." called the Hokage.

"Yes, old man?"

This widened the smile on the Hokage's face. At least Naruto's blatant disregard for authority hadn't changed in the slightest.

"How is the addition on the...project going?"

Naruto smiled thinly.

* * *

Team 9 (Chouji, Ino and Shikamaru) was on their way to the Hokage's office for a C-Rank mission when they met Team 7 walking out of the Hokage Tower. Kurenai and Asuma exchanged discreet glances and a cordial greeting. Ino squealed when she saw Sasuke and Chouji had to physically restrain her. Shikamaru exchanged nods with Shino and Sasuke and a long glance with Naruto.

Walking past Team 7, Team 9 made for the entrance to the Hokage Tower.

"Shikamaru."

The lazy Nara turned and saw Naruto staring at him.

"In your quest for information, I urge you to take caution...knowledge can be a death sentence when discovered improperly."

With that remark, Naruto disappeared. Ino, Chouji and Kurenai stared at Shikamaru, confusion evident on their faces.

"Shikamaru?" queried Kurenai. "What was that about?"

A silent look was all the jounin got.

* * *

Next time on Iruka's Legacy

_From dobe to tensai in three years? That is hard to swallow...nobody changes that dramatically. There is all this chatter about your new fighting style and __attitude; I'll believe it when I see it. And what with this Taki-nin hanging around you like a spectre...and their leader addressing you with such reverence? Surely they can't believe that you hold the key to..._

The Hero's Water

_Because you're nothing special, Naruto. Once a dobe, always a dobe._

* * *

A/N: Finally, another chapter done. I'm over my writer's block; expect more frequent updates of this and my other stories. The Way Of The Pervert is still on hiatus and up for adoption. It was a flash of inspiration, but not my style. Anyways, don't forget to R&R!


End file.
